Collective Bargaining

Let the workers organize. Let the toilers assemble. Let their crystallized voice proclaim their injustices and demand their privileges. Let all thoughtful citizens sustain them, for the future of Labor is the future of America. – John L. Lewis

Alice Forgy Kerr, Tom Buford and Ernesto Scorsone want to extend collective bargaining to a selected group of public employees. Coming from a family where John L. Lewis was second only to Jesus Christ and slightly ahead of Franklin Roosevelt, I applaud their action.

My only problem with this bill is its’ limited scope. Why do these public employees deserve collective bargaining and others, like all state government employees, don’t deserve the right. Let’s see some of the pro-labor House members expand this bill.

By the way, if Scorsone sponsored the bill why didn’t he vote for it?

SB 106/LM (BR 1345) - A. Kerr, T. Buford, E. Scorsone

AN ACT relating to urban-county governments. Amend KRS 67A.6901 to create the new definition of "Dispatch communications personnel" and delete the definition of "Firefighter personnel"; amend KRS 67A.6902, 67A.6903, 67A.6904, 67A.6905, 67A.6906, 67A.6908, 67A.6909, and 67A.6910 to conform to the definition changes.

Jan 23-introduced in Senate
Jan 25-to State & Local Government (S)
Mar 6-reassigned to Judiciary (S)
Mar 13-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
Mar 14-2nd reading, to Rules
Mar 17-posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Mar 18-passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day
Mar 19-3rd reading, passed 31-4; received in House